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A Young Journalist's Notebook

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A Young Journalist's Notebook 23 September 2017 – 25 March 2018 A YOUNG JOURNALIST’S NOTEBOOK Recommended for Ages 7 to 12 From the desk of Chief Editor of The Singapore Times Dear Young Journalist, Welcome to the National Museum of Singapore! It has been 75 years since Singapore fell to the Japanese army in 1942. The museum has launched a new exhibition, Witness to War: Remembering 1942, to tell the stories of people who lived through the fall of Singapore. There are also two other war-related exhibitions in the Museum. Let’s go on a learning journey to discover and share these wartime stories with the readers of The Singapore Times! This notebook belongs to Use this notebook to gather information for your news article, and I look forward to seeing what you’ve learnt. All the best! Parent’s/Teacher’s note: This booklet has been developed as a family activity guide for young audiences aged 7 to 12. Parents/ teachers are encouraged to guide children and students through the activities together. Questions, such as “If war were to come to Singapore, would you stay or evacuate from your home?”, are raised to facilitate group discussions about important topics. Chief Editor WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 Navigation Navigation SURVIVING SYonan GALLERY Level 2 From SINGAPORE to SYonan-to SINGAPORE HISTORY GALLERY THE FOOD Level 1 Entrance SITUation IN SINGAPORE How A FAMILY COPED DURING Japanese ELIZABETH THE OCCUpation HA-GO TANK CHOy’S StorY Entrance Exit WITNESS to WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 Basement THE 25-POUNDER GUN A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE WITNESSES to WAR THE PACIFIC WAR Entrance Exit WRITE A LETTER 4 5 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 Museum Etiquette Location: Basement This special international exhibition was launched to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore. It features first-hand accounts from ordinary men and women who lived through the war. Many of them were young people, just like yourself, 75 years ago! There are also many artefacts and items from overseas museums in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and more. Let’s look out for the trail markers and find out more about important historical objects in the galleries. Enter the gallery to find out more. Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. It was described as the “worst disaster” by then-British Prime Minister, Listen to the sounds in the galleries. Winston Churchill. Singapore’s fall was among Britain’s worst What do you hear? How do you military defeats. feel? 1 THE 25-POUNDER GUN The 25-pounder gun was a standard weapon used Take as many photographs as you would like, by British and Allied young reporters! Let’s remember to not use flash troops during World photography in the galleries. War Two. 25-pounder field gun, brass shell casings and ammunition box with shell holder Keep your voices low as you c1941–1945 share news and stories with each Collection of the National other. Walk, don’t run – let’s be Museum of Singapore, National Heritage Board considerate to other visitors. Parent’s/Teacher’s note: This display involves a light and sound show, with the use of Most importantly, let’s explore with a curious mind strobe lighting. Please skip this activity if you, or your children, are and have fun together! sensitive to light. 6 7 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 Location: Basement Location: Basement What do you think were the improvements made to the 25-pounder gun that made it a better weapon than the 18-pounder gun? Answer: – The 25-pounder gun had a longer barrel and hence had a longer Compare the two pictures below: can you spot firing range; the main differences? – The 25-pounder gun was more mobile as it could be moved by military tractors. Parent’s/Teacher’s note: Parents/Teachers may wish to use this activity to prompt young audiences to think about the evolution of military technology in World War Two. In World War Two, both the Axis and Allied powers worked to create more advanced weapons, the most significant of which were the nuclear The 18-pounder gun, which was used in World War One. bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. The 25-pounder gun, which was used in World War Two, was an improvement over the 18-pounder gun. 8 9 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 Location: Basement Location: Basement 2 THE PACIFIC WAR 8 March 1942 On 7 December 1941, war broke out across the Pacific Region, Answer: with Japanese military attacks on the United States naval base Burma (Rangoon/Yangon) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Philippines and Malaya. The map below shows the various places that the Japanese 25 December 1941 forces attacked. Fill in the names of the colonies that fell to the Japanese army. Answer: Hong Kong Colony Date of Fall Hong Kong 25 December 1941 6 May 1942 Answer: British North Borneo 19 January 1942 The Philippines Singapore 15 February 1942 Burma (Rangoon/Yangon) 8 March 1942 19 January 1942 Answer: Dutch East Indies 12 March 1942 British North Borneo The Philippines 6 May 1942 15 February 1942 Answer: Singapore 12 March 1942 Answer: Dutch East Indies 10 11 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 Location: Basement Location: Basement WITNESSES to WAR: Major-General Lim Bo Seng 3 Stories OF ORDinarY PEOPLE Major-General Lim Bo Seng is one of The curators of this exhibition interviewed war survivors, Singapore’s war heroes. Born in 1909 in veterans, and their families. There are 11 stories here. Explore the China, he arrived in Singapore at the age four pods – of 16. He was one of Force 136’s leading members. He was captured by Japanese forces, tortured, and passed away in Batu Gajah Prison in Malaya in 1944. For his Top image: Major-General Lim Bo Seng c1940s courage and leadership, he became a The Lim Leong Geok Collection, hero to the nation. courtesy of National Archives of – and see if you can find the two stories below! Singapore 19980002917-0085 His personal diary, containing entries Below image: from February to April 1942, is displayed Madam Leow Oon Geok & Dr Lim Whye Geok at the museum for the first time. Take a Lim Bo Seng’s Children Ubin Pakcik 2017 (Mr Ahmad Bin Kassim) look at it! National Museum of Singapore Mr Ahmad Bin Kassim (Ubin What was the title of the book Which story was your Pakcik) grew up in a quiet village that Lim Bo Seng bought for his favourite? Why? kampong before the war struck. children? When the Japanese arrived at his Answer: Ask your parents, grandparents home, he escaped, with his family, Child’s Book of Famous Composers or teachers if they, too, have through the jungle. stories about World War Two Ahmad bin Kassim, 2017, to share with you! National Museum of Singapore Parent’s/Teacher’s note: Parents/Teachers may wish to use this opportunity to encourage young audiences How old was Ubin Pakcik in 1942? to communicate with their Answer: 7 Years Old own grandparents about the war. Learning about history first-hand from those who experienced it is the best Where did Ubin Pakcik and his family escape to after Japanese DID YOU KNOW? way to bring the past alive. soldiers arrived at his kampong? Force 136 was a special This could also be a great Answer: Pulau Ubin operations force formed opportunity for grandparents by the British to resist the and grandchildren to bond! Japanese in Malaya during 12 World War Two. 13 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 Location: Basement Location: Basement A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE How would you feel if you had to hide under this shelter? Crawl 4 A family activity space underneath to find out. What was it like in Singapore during the war for young people like yourself? Step in to find out. The first Japanese bombs hit There are things to discover Singapore in the early morning underneath the table! Press of 8 December 1941. the radio to hear what an air-raid siren sounded like. Take a look at the photograph on the wall. Look for clues that tell you that Singapore was in danger: Answer: Sandbags were also used to build air-raid 1) Smoke shelters. How do sandbags make an air- 2) Buildings on fire raid shelter better? Think of the cushion Answer: in your bicycle helmets! They help to absorb the shock from bombings. TAKE SHELTER Different types of air-raid shelters were built before the war. These shelters protected people from explosions and bombs. Some of them were built by children and their families. DID YOU KNOW? When the air-raid siren was sounded, people had to Switch all the lights off (a) This is an example of an air- Close all the windows (b) raid shelter that was made out Hide in the nearest (c) of a table. air-raid shelter National Museum of Singapore When the all-clear signal was sounded, 2017 people could then come out of their 14 shelters. 15 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 WITNESS TO WAR: REMEMBERING 1942 Location: Basement Location: Basement AIR-RAID SHELTER WARTIME KITCHEN In addition to air-raid shelters made out of tables, here are two It was difficult to find food during the war. other types of shelters that people built. Before the war reached Singapore, people were encouraged to grow vegetables in their home gardens.
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